


Universes Collide

by obviouslyelementary



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, M/M, Romance, Science Fiction, Time Travel, alternative universe - alternative universe, comic book alternative universe, into the gothamverse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-21
Updated: 2019-04-01
Packaged: 2019-11-27 01:51:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18188243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/obviouslyelementary/pseuds/obviouslyelementary
Summary: Edward Nashton hates the life he has, so he decides to make a time machine to go back to the past and start anew. But it doesn't work exactly as he planned.He ends up exchanging places with his other self, Edward Nygma, the Riddler, from the Batman universe.Edward never thought living in a comic world could be so fun, and so dangerous.And he has never seen an incarnation of the Penguin so... good looking. He is truly impressed.----------(In this AU, Edward Nashton's universe has the Batman comics, but Gotham as a series does not exist.)





	1. Travelling through time and space

Edward Nashton had lived a lonely, solitary and depressing life, all well into his 30s. He was an intelligent man, living in a nice apartment in central New York, working at a nice computer company. Everything in his life would be considered perfect, except the fact that he literally had to force himself out of bed every morning, that everything he did seemed dull and unimportant, that he simply did not see life as he was supposed to. And yes, he considered going to a therapist, maybe get some treatment, but his life was so miserable already, he didn't see the point.

So, he found something to focus on.

He gathered all his studies, all his knowledge and everything else, and began working on a machine. A machine that was supposed to take him back in time. He worked in it years and years, every single day, trying it out several times and seeing if somehow it affected the future. He wasn't worried about it, he just wanted to make sure it worked.

And somehow, one day, it worked. So he decided to dive right in. He had nothing for him in the world he lived in, so perhaps, he would have something in the past, where he could rebuild his life and start over. So he entered in the machine, turned it on, and endured the tremendous pain he felt as his particles turned into atoms and slowly sent him over to another time entirely.

When he opened his eyes, he was in a place that looked exactly like his apartment, but way messier and darker and... greener.

 

\-----------------------

 

Edward slowly stood up from the floor, having integrated in the past laying down on the ground. He groaned, his head pounding, and looked around at the mess around him. The bed was just like his own, even if he had bought it only five years prior. He had set his timer to 40 years in the past, not five. Finding everything strange, he walked towards the kitchen, trying to find a newspaper or anything related to it, just so he could check the date. He couldn't find anything in all that mess however. It all seemed to have been pushed to the side, cut or burnt, as if whoever lived there didn't want to leave any evidence.

Maybe his apartment back 40 years was rented or owned by a criminal.

A cold shiver went up his spine but he quickly shook his head. He just needed to leave. Without thinking twice, he walked out of the apartment and rushed down the many staircases to the street. The building did look like his own, but with minimal changes that made everything weird. It was the same but not quite. He didn't know how to explain it.

It was just... weird.

As he stepped out of the building, into the streets, he found himself in a street he had never seen before. That wasn't his street! Where was the nice ice cream shop in the corner? The café on the other side? The shoe store? Everything seemed to gray and brown, the sky was cloudy, as if it could rain at any moment. A cold breeze blew over him and he held his arms, wondering why he hadn't brought a coat.

Only after a while he remember that was not supposed to be his street. He had no idea how it looked 40 years prior to when he lived there. Sighing in relaxation, he shook his head and began walking down the street. It was fine. He just needed to get used with the fact that things changed a lot in forty years. He knew that in the beginning it would be hard to get a grasp on reality, but eventually, he would get used to it.

Soon, Edward saw what looked like a newspapers box. He approached it, taking one that was over the box and opening it up.

The year read 1983. Strange. That wasn’t the year he had planned on visiting. Then he drifted his eyes across the paper, trying to find which newspaper company had written it. Then he saw it on the left corner, written 'Gotham City Daily News.'

Gotham city?

Edward chuckled to himself, leaning against the newspapers box. Gotham city. They had named the newspaper after a fictional comic book town... that was just precious. He never imagined coming back so many years in the past would be so much fun. Besides, he had never heard of a Gotham City Daily News newspapers company before. Maybe it was local. A real fan of the Batman universe, whoever had built up the company.

Just for curiosity sake, Edward began to read the headlines of the newspaper, chuckling to himself at every single one of them. By the third, he was sure this was just a child journal, or maybe a marketing campaign by DC Comics. They were all incredibly well done, with subjects and whole articles written about them. _"Penguin saves town! AGAIN!"_ and _"The Riddler Terror"_ were two of his favorites. Comic companies really excelled themselves sometimes.

After reading some more, he put the newspaper down and sighed to himself, looking around the town. The streets were quite empty, probably because most people were working, so he decided to take a look around. The cars seemed a little too old for the 80s, but maybe he had just stopped by a more traditional region. After all, he walked through a TV shop with only 30s televisions.

It wasn't until he saw a lady talking to someone on a flip cellphone that he began to feel something was... strange.

50s cars. 30s televisions. 2000s cellphones. And the year said 1985. Something... something was not right.

After some long minutes walking, he finally found himself in a busier street. As he walked by, people stopped and stared at him in shock. He looked back at them, confused, and then at his clothes, wondering why the hell they kept staring at him. Was it so obvious that he didn't belong? What was happening?

Eventually he ran into a store, looking around and sighing as he checked it was empty. He walked around, grabbing himself some soda and some chips and then walked to the counter, taking out his wallet.

When he looked up, the old woman behind it gasped and took out a baseball bat from behind herself. Edward immediately lifted his hands, trying to say anything, before she slammed his head with the bat and sent him down, passed out.

That surely hadn't been his day.

 

\----------------------

 

_"-like that? In a convenience store?"_

_"Yes, I'm not lying. That's how she found him."_

_"He didn't even say anything to defend himself? He just grabbed a soda and some chips?"_

_"That's what she told me James, yes."_

"Wha..." Edward mumbled as he opened his eyes, blinking slowly and seeing everything fuzzy for a while. When he tried to move his hands to fix his glasses, he noticed he couldn't move them, realizing they were tied up somewhere. As his vision came back to normal he looked around, seeing his legs were also tied up. He noticed then that he was tied up by a chair, and that there was a group of people standing in front of him.

"Finally our sleeping beauty woke up" a woman with blond hair said, smirking at him, and Edward frowned, lifting his head and fixing his glasses the best he could. Then, he focused on the group again. The blond lady was standing between a blond man dressed up as a cop and a short black-haired man wearing a fancy suit. "We have been looking for you everywhere Nygma, how kind of you to just show up like that."

"Barbara..." the blond man said in a warning tone, and Edward frowned, extremely confused. The woman, apparently called Barbara, rolled her eyes and put her hands on her waist, tilting her head.

"Seriously Jim? Now?"

"Excuse me... what is happening?" Edward tried, calling the attention of everywhere there. There were three on the front, but the group extended to at least another twenty people behind them. The three of them gave him a confused glance and then Barbara laughed, shaking her head.

"I can't believe it! After everything he did, he is playing the victim!" she said, and then walked to him, grabbing his jaw and lifting his head. He let out a soft grunt of pain, closing his eyes and then opening them again. "You, Nygma, are being auctioned to see who gets to kill you, in case you forgot the atrocities you have done in the last year."

"I... don't know... what you're talking about" he mumbled, and she growled, letting go of him and walking back between the other two.

"Enough with this" she said, taking out a gun and pointing to his direction. Before she could shoot, the blond man Jim and the brunette stood in front of her.

"Barbara, that was not the deal!" the brunette said, and she rolled her eyes before putting the gun down again.

"Fine. But I don't want Nygma playing stupid" she said, coldly, and looked back at Edward.

Aside from being scared, he was also very confused.

"Why do you keep calling me Nygma?" he asked, his voice shaky from fear, and the three looked at him, confused. "My name is Edward."

"Edward Nygma" Jim said, and he frowned even deeper, shaking his head.

"Edward Nashton."

"Oh my god what is that bullshit now" Barbara said, rolling her eyes. "Did Strange destroy your brain again?! Because I swear I won't have any pity towards you."

"I have no idea who Strange is, but I'm sure no one messed up with my brain" he assured, before looking around. "I don't know where we are, nor who are you. But I know that in the last year I only worked at a computer company, I didn't commit any crimes. I can assure you."

"You... don't know who we are?" Jim asked, confused, and Barbara rolled her eyes.

"Why are you believing in him?! He is just buying time to escape!" she said, angrily, and crossed her arms. "My offer begins with 500 grands. I want to kill him myself."

"N-no wait! Wait I don't want to die, I don't know who you are! I don't know where I am, please don't kill me!" he said, loudly, his voice shaking even more. She seemed to be getting more and more impatient as time went by, but the men seemed to be believing in him at least. "My name is not Edward Nygma I swear! It's Edward Nashton! I was born in New York city in 1985, a-and I made a time machine to bring me back to 1979 but something went wrong and I ended up in 1983 a-and I swear I'm not who you're looking for!"

"... New York city? That place doesn't exist" Jim said, confused, and Edward's eyes widened.

"Then, where are we?"

"In Gotham" the brunette man said, stepping closer to him, his limp becoming obvious. Gotham?

"Gotham?" Edward asked, beginning to feel sick from the whole situation. "But Gotham is a comic book city... it doesn't exist..."

"Ivy, bring me your truth serum" the brunette man said, and both Barbara and Jim came closer as a red haired woman walked towards him, taking out a little perfume bottle from her purse. Edward became extremely tense, staring at it and moving his head backwards.

"I-I don't want to smell that" he said shakily, and she smiled at him, opening the bottle and moving it over his nose.

"Then don't breathe" she winked, and soon the delicious smell made its way inside his lungs, making him feel all relaxed and fuzzy, a smile creeping up on his face. All his muscles relaxed and he sighed. "Now tell us the truth. What's your name?"

"Edward Nashton" he mumbled, and she nodded.

"Where are you from?"

"New York city."

"How did you end up here?"

"I made a time machine... to go back in time... but I believe it failed."

"What is Gotham city to you?"

"A fictional place from a series of comic books produced by a company called DC Comics..."

"He is not lying" Ivy said, looking at the others. "I think we really got the wrong guy... for some reason."

"Well, no wonder why he was going to convenience stores in the first place" Barbara said, frowning. "But I don't believe in this time machine talk. If he is here, where is our Ed Nygma?"

"Maybe they exchanged places" another man said, walking closer to the group. He was black, and seemed intelligent. "It is possible that both of them were building a machine and activated it at the same time. Instead of it taking this sir to the past as he intended, it took him here."

"And so, Edward is where he came from?" the brunette asked, groaning to himself. "Of course... He found a way out of Gotham for good."

"It doesn’t matter" Barbara said, looking down at him. "I say we kill him anyway. If Nygma is out for good, the people of Gotham only need a show."

"We are not killing an innocent man" Jim said, firmly, and looked down at him as well. "He is coming to the GCPD where we can watch over him and help him fix this mess."

"No. He is coming with me" the brunette said, his voice firm, and both Barbara and Jim looked at him in disbelief. He raised his eyebrow and smirked. "Do you want to solve this by force? I have three times as may men as you have right here in this place."

"... that was your plan all along, wasn't it?" Jim asked, clearly annoyed, and the man shrugged.

"It doesn't matter. All it matters is that he is mine now" he said, waving for his men, and they let Edward go, to which he sighed in relief and rubbed his ankles and wrists. "Hello Edward. My name is Oswald. Oswald Cobblepot. It will be a pleasure to have you around my lair."

"... isn't Oswald Cobblepot the Penguin?" Edward asked, a little confused from the perfume, and Oswald stared at him before he nodded.

"That's how I call myself in business hours yes."

"Oh" Edward mumbled, and then tilted his head. "In the comics you're always... older. And fatter. And... uglier."

"Take him away from me, get him to take Nygma back and call me. I'm done with listening to that idiot" Barbara said, shaking her head. "Come on girls."

She left with a bunch of ladies by her back. Jim was next, after giving a meaningful glance towards Oswald. Then, Edward was alone with that little man, the perfume slowly getting absorbed by his organism.

"Come on, different dimension Edward. We have a lot to discuss" Oswald said, nodding to the car and beginning to limp away. Edward followed, a little afraid of the many men with many guns around them. He sat in the car next to Oswald and looked out of the window. So, he really had made a mistake. He wasn't in the past. He was in a whole different universe.

An universe where the Batman universe was real, and that he, Edward Nashton, was Edward Nygma, also known as The Riddler.

He would need a ton of whiskey to process all of that.


	2. Handsome Penguin Universe

Edward never, ever thought he would see something like what was standing in front of him.

It was a club, yes, but it looked like something straight out of a TV show or a comic con or some party somewhere. It was chic, elegant, with umbrella lights everywhere, and a big sign that read 'Iceberg Lounge' right in the middle, over the stage. It was currently empty, considering it was still afternoon and therefore it was closed for guests. But still it was a sight to see.

Truly something out of a batman comic book.

He followed Penguin to a small door behind some curtains, where an elevator waited for them. He got inside, together with the villain and two of his guards, all of them extremely silent as it rode all the way down to what Edward could only believe was Penguin's secret base.

When the doors opened again, the guards walked out and stood by the door. Penguin was the next, nodding for Edward to follow, and he did, fixing his glasses nervously and walking behind the man. The guards stayed behind, and Penguin lead him to another door, that he opened with both hands, extremely dramatic, just to show an empty room with what looked like a throne by some windows, a nice black desk and some couches and chairs.

A reunion room, Edward guessed. Penguin walked around the desk, sitting on the throne and nodding for him to find a place to sit. Edward did, pulling a chair from beneath the desk and sitting on it, looking around nervously.

He had no idea what to do, or what to say.

"Edward... Nashton" Penguin said, hesitantly, and he looked back at the man, feeling a shiver going down his spine. He had no idea what his body meant by it. "Welcome to my lair. In here you will be protected, and everything you need will be given to you, including whichever parts you need to rebuild your failed time machine. Understood?"

"Y-yes" Edward nodded, even more nervous. His hands were shaking over his lap. Penguin raised an eyebrow and then chuckled to himself, leaning forward and getting two glasses from a little tray he had on the side. Then, he retrieved a bottle of what looked like whiskey and served both glasses.

"Drink some. You are way too nervous for a nice conversation" he said, pushing one glass towards Edward and taking the other, taking a sip. Edward got his glass and immediately downed the whole drink, sighing and putting it down on the desk again. Penguin stared at him for a while before snorting and pouring some more whiskey in his glass. "Very well."

"Sorry. Again" Edward said, this time taking the glass and sipping on it. "I'm just... trying to stop feeling so nervous, as you suggested. I can't really believe this is happening."

"Well yes, you are in quite a situation" Penguin agreed, tapping his fingers on his glass and crossing his legs. "Since we are having a little chat to get to know each other better, please explain to me again that whole... comic book thing."

"oh yes" Edward nodded, putting his drink down. "Well, where I come from, Gotham and all of you are parts of a comic book series called the Batman series. Batman is the main character of this series, a dark knight, a vigilante that saves Gotham from all terror and disturbance."

"I have never heard of any Batman" Penguin said, tilting his head. "Which makes it hard for me to believe in anything you're saying, really."

"You... don't know Batman?" Edward asked, and Penguin shook his head. "Wait, how old are you?"

"Thirty one."

"How old is Bruce Wayne?"

"The kid?" Penguin sighed, closing his eyes. "I think he is... sixteen? I have no clue. Twelve from where I'm concerned."

"Oh... that's why you don't know Batman" Edward mumbled, taking his glass again and sipping on it. "Batman just shows up after Bruce Wayne is twenty five... that will take a long time to happen."

"... right" Penguin said, smirking to himself. "So basically you don't know anything up to what, ten years in the future?"

"Honestly I don't know anything about this universe" Edward explained, making Penguin look at him confused. "The Batman series is one single series with many multiple universes. Your universe is one I have never seen."

"Okay I see why Barbara wouldn't believe you" the villain said, sighing and putting his glass down. "Listen here, Edward Nashton, I'm trying to help you. But everything you are saying is well impossible. And we all know Edward Nygma is intelligent enough to make a convincing story to pretend as if he doesn't remember anything and that he is from somewhere in another universe, whatever that means. So how am I supposed to believe you?"

"... I guess you just can't" Edward said, feeling defeated, leaning back against the chair and finishing his second drink. "I don't have enough proof to give you that would make you believe in me. So I understand if you want to kill me, or anything like that. I just won't be able to tell you anything you would want to know. Because I don't know anything."

Penguin looked at him for a long time before he let out a loud sigh and stood up, putting his hands in his pockets and pacing around the room. Edward watched him, scared that he would just turn around and put a bullet in his brain. It would be fair. Edward had no way of proving he wasn't from another dimension.

But Penguin didn't do anything. He just sighed again and turned to look at Edward.

"I guess I will just take your word for it" he said, crossing his arms. "I will show you your chambers. After that, you should make me a list of everything you will need for your machine. I will have the pieces by tomorrow, and you can begin building your machine. How much time you think you will need?"

"If I had my blueprints I could build it in a little less than three months. But I don't, so I believe around a year to get all the kinks right. Unless your Edward left his blueprints. Then I could finish quicker" Edward said, and Penguin nodded.

"I will get someone to look for those blueprints, if he didn't took them with him. For now, come along. I will show you where you will sleep" he said, heading to the door, and Edward quickly followed, still looking around nervously.

This felt like a mix of a dream and a nightmare.

But it was better than his previous life.

 

\-------------------------------

 

Penguin showed him the rooms, asked for the list, and told him to be ready for dinner at precisely 8 pm. Edward wrote down the list and gave it to one of Penguin's guards, then took a shower and dressed up with what he could only guess were Nygma's old clothes, considering how well they fit him. Then, when the clock struck 8, he walked to the dining room, arriving to a filled up table with the nicest looking food he had ever seen. Penguin was standing by the head, and when he saw him, showed him the chair to his left.

He was going to sit to the left of one of the biggest Batman villains. Holy heck.

Edward sat down with no objections, noticing only his and Penguin's plates. The food on the table would serve at least twelve guests but apparently there were only him and Penguin around to eat. That was fine. After sitting, he waited, unsure if he was supposed to serve himself, wait to be served, serve Penguin... he had zero idea what kind of power he had at that moment, and he wasn't going to risk it.

Yet, all he got was a strange look from the lord of the Gotham Underworld.

"You can eat, Edward" he said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and Edward felt his cheeks burning a bit before he nodded and reached out, slicing the wonderfully cooked chicken in front of him and getting a few slices of breast on his place. Then he served himself some potatoes and some pilaf rice, sighing at the delicious smell. After serving himself, he waited, looking at Penguin, who was still staring at him as if he was an animal at the zoo.

Well, that made him a little uncomfortable.

"Yes, mister Penguin?" he asked, trying to get some reaction from the man in front of him. It only made him chuckle, shaking his head.

"Alright, if you really are Ed Nygma, you are doing a fantastic job in not looking like yourself" he said, clearly amused, and Edward was unsure if that was a compliment or an insult. "If you aren't... well I think I just found my favorite Ed."

He was sure he was supposed to be offended, since it hardly implied that Penguin saw him more like a thing than a person. Yet, he couldn't help but feel a little bit pleased to know mister Penguin, king of the Gotham underworld, liked him more than he liked his own Edward Nygma.

Which really put into perspective how horribly lonely and deprived of love Edward really was.

"Well, you are surely my favorite Penguin" he responded, feeling his throat close immediately after. What the hell was he saying?! He wasn't supposed to just say something like that to a villain! All his freaking out subsided however when he saw the light blush appear on Penguin's cheeks, as if he had just been complimented.

They stayed silent for a while, staring at each other, before Penguin cleaned his throat and finally, finally began serving himself some food.

"How are... the other Penguins?" he asked, curiosity clear in his voice, and Edward felt a little bit more relaxed, looking down at his food and cutting a piece of chicken and some potatoes.

"Well the comic ones and the ones from cartoons are always... um... older. And way uglier" he said, paying attention to his food and not to Penguin himself. "They are usually around their 50s, very wealthy, and they look more like an actual penguin than you do. They are usually very fat, always in a black suit, some are more like business men and some are more like monsters, with hunchbacks and grotesque characteristics like incredibly big and crooked noses, sharp teeth, wide eyes... not very pleasing people. And even when they look more pleasing, the way they act is just... horrible. So people don’t usually like him very much."

"Well, I'm only 31, I still have time to look like that" Penguin responded with a quick laugh right after that made Edward look at him. He frowned as Penguin returned his look.

"I don't think you ever could" he said, honestly, and Penguin tilted his head.

"Why?"

"I... don't know. You're just too good looking to ever turn into a beast."

Again what the hell was he saying?! Did he have no sense of self preservation?!

And yet, all he got back was a blush on Penguin's cheeks and a shift of glance. That wasn't very... villainous of him.

"A flattering lie, but thank you in any case. The comparison is just not good" Penguin responded, serving both himself and Edward some red wine. Edward swallowed thickly and then put his fork down, a burst of courage seeming to make its way from his stomach to his vocal chords.

"You are actually very handsome, if you don't mind me saying" he said, his voice cracking a bit, and Penguin froze again, fork standing still from where he had just picked it up.

They stayed silent for longer than the comfortable amount of time, but Edward didn't take it back. Truly, no one in his universe had ever caught his eyes as much as him. Not that Edward was expecting anything in return, unless it was a punch on the face or maybe a section of torture, but he should say it, because it was true.

He had never seen someone as exquisitely beautiful as this version of Oswald Cobblepot, with his green bright eyes and his small stature and eye catching freckles.

"Lets eat" was Penguin's response after so much time in silence, getting a piece of chicken he had served himself and stuffing his mouth with it. He kept his head low like Edward had never seen any Batman villain do, ever, but even so, every now and then Edward got a glimpse of red cheeks and bright green eyes.

For some reason, he felt pleased.


	3. Nygma's case

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive me for the filler chapter

As incredible as it sounded, Penguin was actually a very pleasant company. Edward was unsure if it was because he always saw the villain through Batman's eyes, or because he was just that, a villain, but throughout the few days Edward had had the pleasure of being around him, eating with him and talking to him, he had found out that the man was actually way more complex than what the stories from the comics lead him on.

Edward had been in the Penguin manor for a little more than a week, and he had learned so much. He learned that Penguin was actually from Hungary, that his last name was actually pronounced 'Kapelput' and that his mother made a delicious dish called goulash that Edward had never tasted before.

He also found out that Penguin really liked animals, in particular a bulldog he had that was named, well, Edward, which lead to some weird excuses and some even weirder moments of silence while Edward deduced that there was more going on behind the scenes that he was not aware of.

He also figured out from where that limp he had came from. He didn't really remember it having any explanation in the comics, although he was sure he probably just missed the edition. He was never a true Batman fan after all, and although he found the Joker extremely interesting, the other villains never truly caught his eye.

Actually, finding out that his counterpart in the comic book world was the Riddler was... somewhat disappointing.

"Why?" Penguin asked when he voiced that concern, both taking some time to rest after Edward had spent the whole day working on his machine. He sipped on his tea and sighed, shaking his head.

"He is a stupid Joker spin off" he said, frowning deeply. "No one knows who he is, and when they do, they know him because of his tight spandex suit and bright pink hair. The Riddler is... quite stupid when you think about him as a character."

"... I have no idea who that Riddler is" Penguin said with a chuckle, shaking his head and then drinking down his whiskey. "My Riddler is extremely intelligent, and very, very lustful for blood. He simply loves his shows and killing people."

"Is that what he does? Makes shows and kills people?" Edward asked, sighing and rubbing his forehead. "Can you be more idiot than that? Ugh. I wish I was someone else."

"Well, it is who you are" Penguin said, crossing his leg and looking at the fire in front of them. Edward used that moment to give Penguin a quick glance, admiring his quite incredible form. He held himself in such a charming way, always so sure of himself, his nose always a little higher, body always showing off confidence. "Anyway, tell me more about these other villains... the Joker, Two Face... I don't know either of them. Actually I don't know many others..."

"Sure" Edward nodded. "Well honestly I think you are the only one that existed before Batman in the comics, since all other villains are around his age. But in any case, the Joker has many different incarnations. He is many different people. But I believe he doesn't quite exist as the Joker here yet" he hummed and rubbed his chin. "Do you know anyone that acts extremely crazy, wears a bunch of makeup, has a crazy smile, does insanely crazy things, fell into a pit of acid?"

"Oh... god no" Penguin mumbled, his face turning white, and Edward frowned at the reaction. "Are you... oh I think we have our jokers..."

"Jokers? More than one?" Edward asked, surprised. "That's different."

"Here they are known as the Valeska brothers. Jerome and Jeremiah" Penguin said, shaking his head and serving himself some more whiskey. "Jerome died, thank god. But Jeremiah fell into a pit of acid and hasn't been declared brain dead yet."

"Oh well if he is the joker, he won't die" Edward assured, finishing his tea and seeing Penguin shiver. "I didn't know you were scared of him. I thought you guys were partners."

"Partners with those crazy children?!" Penguin asked, extremely nervous, and then downed his drink. "They are insane! They should be locked up in Arkaham, that’s where they belong!"

"I'm pretty sure that's where everyone in Gotham should be" Edward said, chuckling, and Penguin gave him a stare that sent shivers down his spine. "Sorry..."

"It's... fine" he mumbled and sighed. "We should not talk about the Valeska brothers anymore."

"Fair enough... you know, Gotham is very interesting" Edward said, turning his glance out to the window. "I never dreamed of ever seeing it from so close. And honestly I never expected of actually seeing the Penguin. Or staying at your house. This is so surreal."

"Well, I couldn't leave you with those two. Kean would kill you, and Gordon would keep you arrested until someone stole you from him. Here you can build your machine and be safe" he said, calmly, and Edward turned back to him. "And then you can bring Nygma back and everything will be settled."

"And you will stay with him again" he said, and Penguin turned to look at him. "I mean, you did steal me. You would have stolen him too. Why?"

"... he is a friend" Penguin said, and sipped on his drink. That sounded forced.

"Well, you two are quite friendly in the comics" Edward agreed, tilting his head. "Although I hardly think that's the real reason as to why you would keep him close to yourself."

"The reason isn't important. I couldn't have Kean or Gordon having him to themselves" Penguin replied, his voice tight. Edward nodded slowly.

"Do you like him?"

The silence was response enough. Edward frowned at how Penguin just went quiet and drank down his whiskey. Okay. So he and his Edward were friends, and Penguin actually had feelings for him. Why Nygma ran away, Edward didn't know. He did know that whatever it was, Penguin still wanted to protect him. That all seemed like a very complicated puzzle.

Edward liked puzzles. Maybe one of the few characteristics he shared with his comic counterpart.

"I'll go to my room" Penguin said, suddenly, and put his glass down, standing up to head back to his chambers. Out of instinct, Edward stood up as well and reached out, taking Penguin's sleeve on his hand and making him stop, freeze on the spot.

"Oswald..." he said, trying out the name on his tongue. Felt better than saying 'Penguin' all the time. "We can be friends, if you want. Just for the time I'm around."

They stood quiet for a while, with Oswald staring at the fireplace, away from Edward, for at least a full minute. Then, he turned his face around, his bright green eyes meeting Ed's, taking his breath away. He had never seen someone as beautiful in his entire life.

He had no idea what had happened between Oswald and Nygma, but whatever it was, Nygma was extremely stupid of letting him go.

After even more silence, Oswald sighed and shook his head.

"I'm not drunk enough for this. Excuse me" he muttered, pulling his arm away and heading to his room, grabbing his cane and limping away from Edward. And Edward stared as he walked away, wondering how many more drinks Oswald would need to be drunk enough for it.


	4. French fries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick warning for two deaths, mentions of guns and blood and a little bit of implied sexual relations

The days passed by with everything working accordingly. As Edward got used to the new space, the new universe, the different shapes for the different things, Oswald had the time to get used to Ed's presence, to Ed's mannerisms and eccentricities. He was pretty sure he wasn't like Oswald's Edward. He wasn't cunning, he wasn't evil, and most importantly he wasn't cold like Oswald described his Ed to be. Very few times they got to talk about Nygma, it all seeming to be a very sensitive subject for Oswald. They only ever talked about him when Edward left his working station to ask Oswald something, like a drink or more food or maybe some piece of engine he was needing, and found the Gotham crime lord downing booze at his club. The moments where Oswald was most vulnerable, Ed realized.

The man was as impenetrable as a rock, but Edward was pretty sure he had a soft interior. And that was what Edward was trying to reach at, day by day, by having small talk during breakfast, lunch and dinner, by asking Oswald about things people wouldn't normally ask a crime lord, like how was his day or what was his favorite food, or talk about his deceased mother and father. Besides the fact that Edward really wanted to know Oswald better (because as each day passed, he felt more and more connected to this strange and peculiar man), he was also fascinated about the world he lived in.

It was weird, falling in love with a comic book criminal that just so happened to actually exist, in another universe.

A universe where he was another comic book villain. Incredible.

Days formed into weeks, and weeks into a month. He had been living in this strange world for more than a month now, and slowly but surely he was drilling a small hole in the impenetrable barrier that was Oswald Cobblepot. He did have an advantage: he looked exactly like Nygma, had the same voice, and sometimes Oswald said he even did things the same way, like overworking and forgetting to eat and sleep. But he was not Nygma, and he let that very clear for Oswald at every turn. And slowly Oswald came to accept that indeed he was not.

 _"Because Nygma would never be this nice without wanting something in return"_ he said one night, over a few shots of vodka, and Edward felt pity for him. He had no idea what type of relationship Oswald and Nygma had before he arrived. All he knew was that Oswald cared deeply for him, loved him even, and would do anything to protect him. Which was odd, since he didn't seem to expect the same in return.

Edward could only assume it was unreciprocated love. The worse, most bitter kind of love there was.

During the course of that month, he tried to find out more about what happened between Nygma and Oswald. Through the guards, Oswald himself, and mostly Olga (who still didn't understand he wasn't Nygma, just thought he had had a memory loss or something), he began to put the puzzle pieces together and form a bigger picture, with many places missing but mostly, a coherent artwork.

Oswald did love Nygma deeply, at some point. They betrayed each other's trust somehow (something related to one of Nygma's exes) and drifted apart for good. They had never trusted each other again until recently, when Oswald thought they were finally coming to terms again.

And then Nygma ran away.

And he arrived.

What a bitter story.

It would make a great comic book arch, though, the unrequited love of Oswald Cobblepot.

Maybe when he returned to New York he should go to DC comics and show them his script. Maybe they would throw him out (making the Penguin gay? What a sacrilege), but maybe they could try something out.

The problem was that just like real life, that story would probably not have a good ending for Penguin. Homophobia and all.

When Edward stopped thinking about all of that (and imagine, he had been building that god damned machine panel for longer than five hours now), he looked at the clock to check the time and realized he was three hours late for dinner. Great. Putting all utensils down, he changed into clean clothes and brushed his hair before rushing upstairs to see the dining room empty. Well crap. Walking slowly to the kitchen (most of the rooms were dark and he wouldn't dare light them up), he noticed that Olga was cleaning up, singing to one of her Russian songs. Crap! He was explicitly told not to miss any meals, and if he did, he wouldn't be able to eat again. But he was hungry! So, he grabbed his wallet, hoping that the money here was dollar currency and not... Wayne Bucks or something, and rushed up towards Oswald's club. They served food there along drinks, so maybe he could get some fries and rush back down again. Who knew?

The stairs to the club ended directly into Oswald's private office. As Edward opened the door, he sighed in relief seeing it was empty. Slowly, he made his way through the room towards the door and opened a small crack. The club was filled with people. Sighing, he stepped out the room into the club, making his way towards the bar and stopping by it. He called a barman to the side and asked for some fries, to which he nodded and walked off to make some. Thank god. Edward wasn't supposed to stay in the club long, he was constantly reminded that he looked like Nygma and because of something he had done prior to Edward's arrival, he wasn't well seen all around Gotham.

No one told him what the issue was, what Nygma had actually done, but Edward had a feeling it wasn't something pretty.

Luckily, his fries came up quick, and no one noticed him coming in or getting out. As he walked back inside the office, he found himself staring down at two huge men standing in front of Oswald's desk, and through the small gap they left between them, Ed could see Oswald sitting on his chair, seeming tense.

"I have already told you, I have no idea where he is!" Oswald said, his voice loud and angry. "do you really think I would let Nygma wonder around if I had any clue to where he is hiding?!"

"No. We think you would have brought him here, and would hide him under our noses" one of the men said, his voice deep and scary. Edward swallowed thickly, he was already inside the room. If he opened the door again, they might notice. No one had seen him yet so maybe he could hide somewhere? Because the door would be impossible to reach.

"I have already told you, me, Kean and the GCPD will have an auction as soon as we find him, and we will warn the whole underground and overground community that Nygma has been found and dealt with!" Oswald screamed, man he looked stressed. Then, his demeanor changed, to a calm smile and a tilt of his head. "Until then gentleman, be sure to grab a drink on my account on your way out, and leave me alone."

"Our boss won't be happy to hear it" the other man said, and Oswald rolled his eyes.

"I don't care about what your boss thinks. Get out" he nodded to the door, and only then, his eyes caught Edward's, who was still staring at him like a deer under the spotlight, unable to move or to think about anywhere to hide, holding a god damn portion of French fries on his hands.

The two men began turning around, but the movement was short lived. Oswald immediately rose from his chair with his silent gun in hand and shot both, on the head, with a precise aim of an army general.

It took the air out of Edward's lungs. He never thought seeing someone shoot people would be so incredibly attractive.

But the follow up stare he received was something out of his nightmares.

"Get. Downstairs. Now" Oswald said, pointing the gun to the door that lead to the house. "And wait for me. We need to talk."

Well crap.

With a nod, Edward rushed down the stairs holding his fries close, avoiding the bodies and blood on the floor. He ran downstairs and sat by the dining table, waiting for Oswald to come down and eating his fries in the process. After all he didn't want to be tortured with an empty stomach. Or maybe he did, he wasn't sure. All that trouble for French fries... he was done for.

At least he would have some good fries before he was killed brutally.

Oswald walked down around half an hour later, telling his guards and Olga to go to their rooms and leave him and Edward alone. They did so, and he directed himself for the dining room where Edward awaited, empty plate of fries in front of him. Maybe he shouldn't have eaten them, he could feel his stomach turning because of the anxiety of the situation. He felt sick. Oswald walked to the other end of the table and stared at him, for a long time, with an expression that Edward could not decipher.

Was it anger? Disappointment? He had no idea.

After a while just staring, Oswald closed his eyes and took a deep breath, huffing it out through his nose and opening his eyes again.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

Well that was a broad question.

"I-"

"You don't get to answer, Nashton" he said firmly, and Edward immediately shut up. "I told you not to be late for dinner, and you didn't show up. I told you to wait for the next meal if you didn't come, and you decided to get a snack. And I explicitly told you to never, ever, ever come up to the club in any occasion for anything, and yet, you walked all the way up there, walked through my room and into the club for French fries?"

Was he supposed to answer now?

"I-"

"Quiet!" Oswald said, slamming his hands over the table and groaning. "Do you know why I keep you locked up down here?! Do you know why I have these rules for you?! You are not from Gotham, you are not from here, but you forget that you look and talk and act exactly like Edward Nygma. And you know what he did? He killed a bunch, and I mean hundreds of people. It's no joke that they named it the Riddle Massacre on the newspapers! Everyone in Gotham is looking for him, and you are him! Those men were from a gang in Gotham that had five of their leaders mutilated by Nygma. Five! Mutilated! And now they will want an explanation as two why I killed two more of their men with no fucking reason!" he groaned, punching the table again and sighing deeply, his head low between his hands. Edward swallowed thickly, feeling the guilt go up to his heart and get stuck in there, like a dart. Oswald took a deep breath and opened his eyes, but kept them at the table that time, not looking up at Edward. "Don't make this more difficult than it already is, Nashton. Kean wants you dead, she doesn't care if you're Nygma or not. Gordon wants you arrested until they can bring the true Nygma back. Everyone else wants to burn you in public, see you burn for your sins... I am the only one that can protect you" he whispered, looking up at Edward, and his eyes were bright and shiny with tears. Edward felt the air leave his lungs again, the guilt squeeze a little harder. "I know you're not my Edward. I am awfully aware of it, because you're nice, and kind, and sweet, and not a mass murderer. And because you leave safety with no backup plan just to get some fries. But I promised myself I would keep you safe no matter what. So please... don't ever do that again."

Edward watched in silence as Oswald sighed one last time, sitting down on the chair next to him and wiped his eyes quickly, before any of the tears could come out. Then, he clicked a button underneath the table and a little box showed up from the ground, from where he took out two glasses and a bottle of whiskey. He filled both up to the middle and pushed one through the table towards Edward, and took the other, drinking it all down in one go and filling up another. Edward simply picked up his own glass, wet his lips with the drink and put it down again, his eyes never leaving Oswald.

He had no idea who Nygma could not love the man in front of him.

Without thinking too much, Edward picked up the glass again and drank it all down. With a hiss, he stood up, bring the glass with him and walking all the way to Oswald's side, putting the glass on the table and filling it up to the middle again, drinking it down once more. Oswald was now on his third glass, and so was he, sipping the drink instead of going all for it. His eyes were tired and he looked up at Edward as if he had given up on everything. He seemed dead, inside and out, and Edward hated the look in him, even if it was the one he used more often.

"It won't happen again" he promised, kneeling down in front of Oswald and receiving a raised eyebrow in return. "I promise you."

"Good" he said, finishing his third glass and then standing up, being imitated by Edward, who watched as he slowly limped towards the door. "I still have club business to attend, so if you don’t mind, I will excuse myself."

Edward didn't know what happened to him. Maybe it was the drink, although it didn't have time to settle, or maybe it was the whole month watching and learning new things about Oswald every day that gave him the courage to step forward and reach for his arm, holding the king of the underworld by his wrist, stopping him in his tracks.

Oswald turned to him, his bright eyes confused and with a glint of annoyance in them, but Edward didn't mind it. His hold only got firmer.

"You loved him, didn't you?" he asked, his voice dark and sober. There was something inside Edward's chest, a type of vicious jealousy and anger at this other self. At this Nygma that didn't know how to value what he had. Oswald didn't answer. "You say he is smart, the most intelligent man in Gotham... but I have never heard of someone so stupid in my entire life."

"What do you mean?" Oswald asked, eyebrows furrowing, and Edward stepped closer, keeping Oswald's wrist close to him, his grip firm.

"He couldn't see anything besides himself. He was blind to everything else in the world" he said, standing chest to chest with Oswald, keeping his stare, lifting a trembling but brave hand towards Oswald's face, touching his cheek with cold fingers. "He couldn't see love standing in front of him."

"Nashton, what-" but he didn't allow Oswald to finish. If he didn't do it now, he wouldn’t do it ever. His hand firmed on Oswald's face and he leaned down, pressing their lips together in a soft, gentle way that he had never kissed or been kissed before. Oswald went stiff almost immediately, but with a shift of Edward's head and a gentle nibble to his bottom lip, something bloomed inside Oswald. He responded hungrily to the stimuli, grabbing Edward's shirt with his hands and pressing him against the table, kissing him back with almost no gentleness. The kiss deepened immediately, Edward releasing a soft moan into it as his hands moved to Oswald's hair, pulling him closer and allowing for a teeth and tongue kiss that felt like had taken too long to actually happen. Oswald had no patience, sliding his hands under Edward's shirt and feeling him, sending shivers all over his body, all while Edward tried to understand how everything had happened so quickly.

They broke apart searching for air, leaving their foreheads pressed together, panting and sighing as they tried to catch their breath. After a few seconds, Oswald looked up at him, his pupils extremely dilated, and reached for Edward's hand.

"Follow me" he said, pulling Edward away from the table and into the hallways, all the way down to a large pair of doors. As he opened it, Edward saw the room where Oswald slept, with a king-sized bed and all decorated in purple and black. It was so dark, and it felt so menacing for some reason, it was incredible.

And as the doors closed behind him, Oswald pushed him against them and kissed him again, and Edward held nothing back, kissing him and pulling onto his fancy and way too layered clothes, mindless about anything else but Oswald.

They ended up in bed, their drunk minds and broken hearts somewhat fixing each other's problems as they found their positions and opened up to themselves.

They finished off panting and tired, but incredibly satisfied, and Edward felt a stinging sensation in his chest that he hadn't felt in a very, very long time.

And if they slept in the same bed, after a few tired kisses and mumbled drunken words, they would only worry about it in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this is the best chapter yet.
> 
> Also to all of you wonderful people that leave comments, thank you so much! I love all of them and read all of them many times a day, its just that i'm super awkward to answer them but I'll try to! I hope you guys enjoyed this nice little chapter!


	5. Deal

The next morning came like a truck smashing through Edward's head.

He was never strong for drinks, that was a given, but three glasses of whiskey had never given him such a horrible headache before. Maybe it was the fact he had only eaten a bunch of French fries, or maybe because whiskey in comic book world was stronger than real world whiskey, or maybe the quality was better than the ones Edward was used to, but in any case, he felt like hell.

And it clearly showed, as he opened his eyes, when the light of the sun hit his face and he growled, a sharp pain going through all his head, from the nape to his forehead and down to his cheeks. He felt horrible.

Suddenly, a hand slid under his head and pulled it up from the pillows ever so slowly, and he leaned onto the warmth it provided. Then, something was gently pressed against his lips, and a soft voice made its way inside his head.

"Open up. Swallow this down. It will help you feel better."

It was foggy and somewhat familiar, and Edward's pained mind decided to trust it. He opened his mouth and the bad tasting object was dropped inside, against his tongue. Before he could complain, something cold pressed against his lips and there was some type of liquid sliding inside his mouth. He swallowed it with the little bad tasting rock and groaned, feeling the hand move away from his head and allowing him to lay down again.

"Just a few minutes and you will be able to open your eyes."

"Okay" he whispered out, and kept his eyes closed until he felt the pain going down to some medium factor. It was enough to allow him to open his eyes, noticing that the sun light wasn't there anymore. The room was dimly lit, and way more comfortable to his swimming and painful head. As he sat up, slowly and carefully, he reached to the side his glasses usually stayed, finding only bed there. He reached for the other side, and found bed again. Squinting his eyes he looked around, finding his glasses pressed between the pillows, and put them on to see the world a little clearer.

At first, he noticed the curtains closed, allowing only a limited amount of light inside the room. Then, he moved his eyes around, scanning everything. Dark walls, dark furniture, purple details... he knew that room. With another shift of his head, he stopped his eyes on a body nearby. He was sitting on a large chair, looking down at a book, with a lamp turned on by his side.

His head moved up, bright eyes meeting Edward's, a small smile curving up on his face.

"Good morning, Nashton" Oswald said, in a calm tone, closing his book and putting it next to the chair in a little table he had there, before he stood up and walked towards the bed. Was Edward dreaming? He rubbed his eyes t make sure he wasn't just seeing things as Oswald let the robe he was wearing fall to the ground, leaving him as naked as Edward himself.

Wait. He was naked?

Out of instinct he pulled the sheets closer to his body, holding them up over his chest and making for a soft chuckle from Penguin's part. He climbed on the bed and crawled to Edward, who felt his heart jump to his throat.

"Don't worry Ed, I saw pretty much everything you're hiding last night" Oswald said, his voice sounding proud and convinced, while Edward tried to make sense of everything.

Last night?

His eyes widened.

Last night.

His face went red in embarrassment as he remembered exactly what had happened last night. He looked over at Oswald again, a little bit too late, as he was already next to Edward, taking his face in his hand and pulling him for a kiss.

A god damned kiss.

Edward forgot all worries and questions immediately. He moved closer, letting go from the sheets and holding Oswald's face ever so gently, deepening the kiss immediately and ignoring the rest of headache still in the back of his mind. He leaned back against the headboard as Oswald crawled on his lap, sitting down over the sheets and wrapping his arms around his neck, just as Ed's moved down his body to his waist, pulling him closer with a sudden tug and receiving a gasp against his mouth, followed by a light chuckle. Their eyes opened to find each other's, and Oswald smirked at him, his eyes malicious. What else should Ed expect really?

"How did you sleep?" Oswald asked, eyes shifting through Edward's face, making his cheeks burn at the attention. One of his hand scratched the back of Ed's head, going down to his nape in a delicious manner that left him shivering, as he used the other to slide down his chest. "Well, I suppose."

"I slept great" Edward agreed, although a little breathless, unsure as to what to answer. "Did you sleep well?"

"I slept fine, thank you very much" Oswald answered with a chuckle, stopping his hands and placing them on Edward's shoulders. "Very bold of you, to kiss me last night. I could have asked for your head cut off, you know?"

"For some reason I feel like that would be very unlikely" Edward said with a smile, making Oswald chuckle again and shake his head. "You seem happy. Was I that good?"

"I'm sure I'm a little biased" Oswald said, tilting his head and then letting out a long, deep sigh. Edward knew what that meant, and felt it even more strongly when Oswald looked away, his eyes distant. Then, he returned, looking at Edward again and giving him a little smile. "It was great. I was needing some stress relief."

"I'm sure you did" Edward agreed, and it lead them to a silent moment. It was extremely uncomfortable, specially at their current positions (both naked, with Oswald sitting on Edward's lap), so they both decided to move, getting away from each other but not really denying what had happened.

"You weren't awake when they served breakfast so I told them to get some of what was left and bring it over" Oswald said as he stood up, pulling his robe on again and limping towards the cart with the tray. Edward looked up at it after reaching and pulling on his boxers, nodding towards Oswald before pulling on his shirt and buttoning up some buttons. "Just this once. I don't want you to get used with late breakfasts all the time."

"Thank you. Promise it won't happen again" Edward said, walking to the tray and humming at the delicious food in front of them. He took the plate with the omelet and a fork, cutting it in a few pieces and eating one of them. "Hmmm its good..."

"I'm glad you think so. Olga is a great cook" Oswald nodded, tilting his head. Edward then picked up another piece and moved the fork towards the smaller man. "What?"

"Do you want some?"

Oswald stared at him, then down at the omelet, then back at him again, and his cheeks turned light pink. Luckily he wasn't wearing any makeup yet, so his cute freckles were out in the open, and so was the possibility of Edward seeing him blushing.

"Are you... feeding me? Your omelet?"

"Can't I?" Edward asked, moving the fork a bit closer. "Don't you want to taste it?"

Oswald didn’t answer. He analyzed the situation for a considerable amount of time before slowly, hesitantly leaning in and opening his mouth. Edward smiled and slid the fork past his lips, taking it out as he took the omelet piece with his teeth. Then, he used the fork to get himself some more and ate it as Oswald did, even if Oswald chewed the fluffy egg as if it was sticky gum.

His eyes were focused on Edward, eyebrows lightly furrowed, cheeks a darker shade of pink.

After they swallowed, Edward got another piece and offered it to Oswald, who denied it with a shake of head. Edward put the food in his mouth and kept eating, maintaining a calm and content look. He felt good despite of the light headache.

"Why did you feed me?" Oswald questioned suddenly, and Edward shrugged, finishing off his omelet before replying.

"Well, we had sex, slept in the same bed, woke up together in the same room and had breakfast taken to our door. I don't know what you consider that to be in your world, but in mine, that's enough for two people who like each other to consider whatever we had a date. A successful date even. Which gives me the right to pamper you a little bit. Like feeding you my food."

Maybe it didn't make as much sense as he thought it did. Maybe it only made sense in his heart. But he liked feeding Oswald. He liked to spoil who he liked. It was something inherent of his being.

But Oswald didn't seem to be someone used with being spoiled. Or someone that understood Edward's reasoning behind everything.

"So what happened last night wasn't a one time thing?" Oswald asked, slowly, and Edward wondered for a split second if Oswald was stupid. Then he assured himself that Oswald was not stupid, and that he was actually insecure due to whatever relationship he and Nygma had. "You actually enjoyed it? It wasn't because you were drunk or... anything of the sorts?"

"Oswald, I've been wanting to kiss you since day one" Edward said, raising an eyebrow at him. "Since I told you I found you beautiful and stunning. Since I found out that I was Nygma here, and since you brought me here to protect me. Since I realized that whoever Nygma was, he was incredibly stupid for letting someone like you go. I'm... fascinated by you. I am intoxicated by the thought of you, you make my insides go all fuzzy and weird, and if that isn't at least some type of attraction, I don't know what is."

Well, he just confessed.

And Oswald was staring at him as if he had grown a second head.

"I... Nashton..." he said, slowly, and Edward shook his head.

"Edward please. I won't have you dumping me over my last name."

"I'm not... going to dump you Edward" Oswald said, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes. He sighed, loudly, and looked up at him again. His eyes were bright, almost teary. "I just... I feel... confused. It wouldn't be fair to you if I accepted your feelings while I am simply... mirroring my feelings towards my Edward into you, do you understand?"

"I thought you were a super villain that didn't care about anyone's feelings but your own" he said, a light smile on his face, and Oswald chuckled quietly, not having expected that phrase.

"I am not a super villain, and I am certain I care more about other people that most of the heroes in my world" he said, sighing again and looking at him, right into his eyes. "I need time. To understand how I really, truly feel about you. To at least be honest."

"Do you think I care if you are mirroring your feelings or not?" Edward asked, stepping closer, putting his plate away. "Do you think I don't know you see him when you look at me? I know. And I don't mind."

"But-"

"It is dishonest with my feelings, I know" Edward nodded and cupped Oswald's face, capturing every flaw, every imperfection, the extreme curve of his large nose, the freckles he seemed to hate so much, the round ears and bright, bright eyes. The most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. "But I don't care. This is limited. My time here is limited. And if I found someone I care so much about... even if for a short time... I want to live it. I want to feel alive, and you make me feel alive."

"Edward... you are speaking nonsense" Oswald whispered, his voice shaking with all the insecurity and vulnerability he probably felt at that moment. But Edward couldn't be sure. "We have hardly known each other for the month you have been here. You don't understand a thing about this universe, you don't know anything about me, and I know nothing about you. And my heart... it belongs to Ed Nygma, not you. I... know it is fairly too late to talk about what we should and shouldn't do, consider we did sleep together last night, but I don't think it would be wise for us to... keep this going."

"Because you don't love me?" Edward asked, and Oswald sighed, closing his eyes and breathing in through his nose.

"Because I love him" he whisered back, and opened his eyes, reaching up to hold Edward's wrists. "And you are not him."

"He denied you. He hurt you. He was blind to you" Edward said, suddenly feeling a bravery that came with a feeling of hatred, of anger. Nygma had everything, and he had nothing, and yet he couldn't have what Nygma didn't want. It was hardly fair. "I want you. I can give you something real. I can give you pleasure and happiness and everything you wished to have with him, everything he didn't give you. Don't you want that? Someone who likes you, who loves you, for who you are and not by what you do? Or what you have to offer? You have nothing to offer me in return, Oswald, and yet I'm here, humiliating myself in front of you, assuring you that I can be your play-pretend of something you couldn't have with someone you actually loved. Please... just give me a chance... I chance to show you I can make you happy..."

"And if you can't?" Oswald asked, eyes shifting from Edward's eyes to his lips, in a clear but subtle sign that he was inclining towards his offer. Thank god.

"If I can't, I won't bother you anymore. I will suffer in silence and finish everything I must do without ever bothering you" he said, taking Oswald's hands and kissing them, knuckle by knuckle, finger by finger, and then the back and his palm. It made a pink blush rise on Oswald's face. "Please."

"Fine" Oswald breathed out, moving closer and placing Edward's hands on his own hips, before holding the taller man's face in his hands. "You have a week. And all rules remain."

"Deal" Edward whispered, leaning down and pressing their lips together again. Finally. His hand slid into the robe Oswald wore and pulled it apart, before he pressed him back against the bed and fell down with him on it, both having their hands explore each other's body with their now extremely sober minds.

And hell if it wasn't ten times better than when they were drunk.

**Author's Note:**

> Guys I know this can be a bit confusing so if you have any questions, please ask around! Comments and kudos are always appreciated!


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